CHAPTER 135: CHAPTER 135: THE DIVINE MOTHER GODDESS SCORES AGAIN

"I’m not going back!"

Isabella still sounded sulky, clearly still stewing over the fact that the battle ended in a draw.

As the Imperial Princess who had never lost a single fight since childhood, encountering even one tie—even just a tie—was a serious blow to her pride.

Unless some kind of redemption arc occurred, she might carry this grudge for the rest of her life.

"I didn’t mean to pressure you to return to the palace," Ashu clarified. "Since Your Highness has decided to stay, then I must ask for your continued support in tomorrow’s assault."

At the mention of someone backing her to fight again, Isabella’s eyes instantly lit up like stars in the night sky.

Her gloomy expression turned animated at once.

"Really?! You’re really letting me fight again?"

"Ah? What else would it be? Isn’t it only natural? You’re the strongest one here right now," Ashu replied, wearing an expression that said this was the most obvious thing in the world.

Support, plus a few flattering words—if Isabella had a tail, she’d be wagging it like crazy by now.

Ashu observed her and chuckled inwardly. Too easy.

"Don’t worry, Ashu! Leave tomorrow’s battle to me!" Isabella pumped her little fists in the air. "I’ve already learned my lesson today—tomorrow, I’ll be even stronger!"

"Then... what about them?" Ashu glanced over at the Royal Guard.

"Forget them," Isabella snorted. "Unless they can keep up with me, they’re not my concern!"

"Alright then. Let’s get some rest tonight."

"Mhm! You go sleep—I’ll keep watch for everyone!" Isabella said brightly.

"Huh? You’re not going to sleep? You’re the commander tomorrow, aren’t you?"

"If I fall asleep, they’ll definitely carry me back to the Imperial Capital. I’ve been through this before."

"Ah... I see."

"Yup!" Isabella folded her arms with a confident nod.

"Well then, good night."

...

Ashu’s physical body had been restored thanks to his recovery skills, but mentally, he was exhausted.

And thinking about the "public grain tax" he’d have to continue paying tomorrow? Add that up and it was like overdrafting six days in advance!

That was even scarier than online loans—at least those came with an installment plan. His deal required not just magic replenishment, but also three days’ worth of meals.

If he didn’t have recovery skills, he’d really be running on empty by now.

Sleep was the best way to rest.

Drained mentally, Ashu lay down beside Vivita—and soon fell fast asleep.

...

Early next morning.

Isabella, who had stayed up all night, didn’t use her great halberd. She jumped straight into battle with Lilith—barehanded.

Ashu only heard the system rewards pinging non-stop in his head and immediately felt the dopamine kick in.

[Isabella Atras has gained: Strength +2]

[Critical Return! Vessel has gained: Strength +22]

"Oh? So her favorability increased?"

It seemed last night’s encouragement had really struck a chord with Isabella. As a result, the return multiplier had increased.

For the next two days, Ashu drifted like a ghost between light and shadow.

During the first half of the day, he acted as a "luminous saint," supporting from the edges of Isabella and Lilith’s battlefield.

Whenever their fight reached a fever pitch, Ashu would step in just enough to tip the balance—or keep it even.

In the second half of the day, after the inevitable draw, Ashu would slip out of the camp and sneak into the ruins... to replenish Lilith’s magic.

By nightfall, he’d be dragging himself back, leaning against the wall for support.

It was grueling—but the system rewards were generous.

At this point—

Ashu could clearly feel changes happening in his body. His muscles were being torn apart and reforged, becoming tougher with every cycle. Each gain in strength came with a surge of searing pain, like countless tiny blades slicing through his muscle fibers.

His senses had become sharper. He could now spot the fluttering of insects far off in the distance, and even pick up soldiers’ quiet murmurs within the camp.

His mind had grown faster, able to react to sudden events in a flash.

Until midnight on the third day, the air across the entire Rose Valley seemed to freeze—so heavy it felt suffocating.

Dark clouds blanketed the sky. Thunder rumbled. Purple lightning tore through the night, illuminating what was left of the town.

Or rather—what was left of the ruins.

Tonight, Lilith seemed somewhat drained. In the past, she had always behaved like a starving spirit, greedily draining Ashu’s essence.

But today, under Ashu’s assault, she was like an ordinary mortal woman—her body giving out after just a few rounds.

Ashu did the mental math. Around this time, she should’ve just barely been full, and yet here she was, lying limp in bed, hands braced against his abdomen, trying to stop him from continuing.

"Something’s wrong." A flicker of unease passed through him. Although Reaper’s Eye showed no change in Lilith’s vital signs, her behavior was clearly abnormal.

"Lilith, what’s wrong? Where does it hurt? Tell me now!"

The moment the words left his mouth—

Lilith’s body suddenly floated into the air, and behind her—six pairs of translucent wings unfurled!

That was not something a Succubus should possess!

Ashu instantly thought of her lineage—her divine father.

Streams of liquid Magical Essence flowed between the wings, converging into a glittering river of stars. The radiant light lit up the entire stone fortress.

Her eyes slowly opened. Within those violet slit pupils, golden ripples began to shimmer. Amidst her charm... there now shimmered a trace of divinity—

—a sign that her Divine Bloodline was awakening.

The air inside the stone chamber began to warp. On the surrounding walls, ancient Abyssal runes lit up one by one, emitting eerie light. As the runes pulsed, it felt as if they were resisting some kind of natural enemy.

At the same time, the ground trembled violently. Cracks split across the stone floor.

"Finally..." Lilith’s voice was twisted with pain and elation, echoing through the sealed chamber. "Father’s... seal... is about to break..."

Her body began to glow. Deep violet demonic sigils intertwined with radiant golden divine marks. The two powers clashed and merged inside her, sending waves of violent energy through the fortress. Chunks of stone dropped from the ceiling.

Then—

A system notification rang out in Ashu’s mind:

[Lilith von Braille has obtained: Bloodline Intensification!]

[Critical Return! Vessel has obtained: Eighteenfold Bloodline Intensification!]

Ashu’s thoughts stalled for a moment.

Looks like sex really was the ultimate tool for strengthening a relationship.

And then—

He felt his meridians flooded by molten lava. Every bone in his body seemed to shatter and reforge. The searing pain blurred the edges of his consciousness.

It was an experience unlike any before. He hadn’t expected this reward to come with agony.

Gritting his teeth, Ashu saw flashes before his eyes—fragments of his past, interwoven with strange and unfamiliar visions.

"I—I’m seeing my damn life flash before my eyes..."

Realizing what was happening, Ashu immediately activated Reaper’s Resolve mode.

He figured—at the very least—a death devotee shouldn’t be so easily killed... by pain.

Before he knew how much time had passed, Lilith—who had completed her Bloodline intensification first—gradually came back to her senses.

She rested her smooth forehead gently against his brow, and a warm, soothing energy flowed into his body.

In an instant, the excruciating pain vanished, and his power surged unimpeded.

At that moment, his Bloodline was first intensified tenfold, and then again by eighteenfold. But it wasn’t simply additive—

It was multiplicative. One hundred and eighty times Bloodline intensification!

"Phew..."

Freed from the agony, Ashu exhaled slowly, then murmured to himself,

"So I broke through? This is... the ’King’ Tier."

While in Reaper’s Resolve mode, Ashu’s strength had already reached late-stage Grand Archmage. After everything that had just occurred, he’d been forcibly pushed into a whole new realm.

In this world, once someone steps onto the path of a cultivator, their trajectory diverges depending on talent and class—

Swordsman, Assassin, Mage, Knight, Archer, Monk...

Each path had its own ranking systems, but eventually, all roads led back to a single, shared realm:

The King Tier.

Much like the original use of the word cultivator, once one reached this level, they were known simply as "King"—

Though further differentiated as Sword King, King of Assassins, Mage-King, Knight-King, Bow King, and so forth.

And only now did Ashu truly understand why he’d always felt hopelessly outmatched when facing Vivita.

Now that he had stepped into this tier, looking back at his past self—even at the peak of Grand Archmage—he realized how insignificant that had been.

From cultivator apprentice to Grand Archmage peak, it had been a steady climb.

But the leap into King Tier was a watershed—a fundamental shift on the path of cultivation.

"Oh, little one, your ascension was fast, wasn’t it? Let me taste how you are now~"

Lilith’s voice purred beside his ear.

Only then did Ashu truly take a close look at her current appearance.

Golden patterns now adorned her skin, intertwining with the signature violet sigils. Most striking were her eyes.

Those naturally seductive eyes now shimmered with a streak of gold in the pupils, giving her an air of divinity.

That divine quality mixed with her innate seduction made her allure even more dangerous—almost irresistible.

"Lilith, this is..."

"As you can see," she replied, calm yet composed. "During our previous unions, I awakened the Bloodline my mother left for me. That’s nothing unusual—Succubi are designed that way."

Her expression then turned slightly serious.

"But what I didn’t expect... was that after so many times with you, I’ve started to awaken the power my father left behind as well. I always believed to access that part of my heritage, I’d have to pay homage to one of the Principal Deities—

But you know how that goes. For a Demon like me to worship a Principal Deity? That’s..."

As she spoke, something clicked in Ashu’s mind.

He suddenly recalled what happened back in Riven Town’s Church, when he had sex with Vivita.

Through the system’s return, he’d obtained a skill: The Night of Divine Blessing.

Whoever he slept with would experience a deepened bond of faith—and receive divine protection.

Which meant... his essence already contained light.

Over these last few days of intense, prolonged coupling, he had—without even realizing it—helped awaken Lilith’s Divine Bloodline.